ACTS 18:23-19:12
PSALM 146:1-10
PROVERBS 18:2-3
2 KINGS 13:1-14:29
Jehoahaz son of Jehu began to rule over Israel in the twenty-third year of King Joash's reign in Judah. He reigned in Samaria seventeen years. 2 But he did what was evil in the LORD's sight. He followed the example of Jeroboam son of Nebat, continuing the sins of idolatry that Jeroboam son of Nebat had led Israel to commit. 3 So the LORD was very angry with Israel, and he allowed King Hazael of Aram and his son Ben-hadad to defeat them time after time. 4 Then Jehoahaz prayed for the LORD's help, and the LORD heard his prayer. The LORD could see how terribly the king of Aram was oppressing Israel. 5 So the LORD raised up a deliverer to rescue the Israelites from the tyranny of the Arameans. Then Israel lived in safety again as they had in former days. 6 But they continued to sin, following the evil example of Jeroboam. They even set up an Asherah pole in Samaria. 7 Finally, Jehoahaz's army was reduced to fifty mounted troops, ten chariots, and ten thousand foot soldiers. The king of Aram had killed the others like they were dust under his feet. 8 The rest of the events in Jehoahaz's reign and all his deeds, including the extent of his power, are recorded in The Book of the History of the Kings of Israel. 9 When Jehoahaz died, he was buried in Samaria with his ancestors. Then his son Jehoash became the next king.10 Jehoash son of Jehoahaz began to rule over Israel in the thirty-seventh year of King Joash's reign in Judah. He reigned in Samaria sixteen years. 11 But he did what was evil in the LORD's sight. He refused to turn from the sins of idolatry that Jeroboam son of Nebat had led Israel to commit. 12 The rest of the events in Jehoash's reign and all his deeds, including the extent of his power and his war with King Amaziah of Judah, are recorded in The Book of the History of the Kings of Israel. 13 When Jehoash died, he was buried with his ancestors in Samaria. Then his son Jeroboam II became the next king. 14 When Elisha was in his last illness, King Jehoash of Israel visited him and wept over him. " My father! My father! The chariots and charioteers of Israel!" he cried. 15 Elisha told him, " Get a bow and some arrows." And the king did as he was told. 16 Then Elisha told the king of Israel to put his hand on the bow, and Elisha laid his own hands on the king's hands. 17 Then he commanded, " Open that eastern window," and he opened it. Then he said, " Shoot!" So he did. Then Elisha proclaimed, " This is the LORD's arrow, full of victory over Aram, for you will completely conquer the Arameans at Aphek. 18 Now pick up the other arrows and strike them against the ground." So the king picked them up and struck the ground three times. 19 But the man of God was angry with him. " You should have struck the ground five or six times!" he exclaimed. " Then you would have beaten Aram until they were entirely destroyed. Now you will be victorious only three times." 20 Then Elisha died and was buried. Groups of Moabite raiders used to invade the land each spring. 21 Once when some Israelites were burying a man, they spied a band of these raiders. So they hastily threw the body they were burying into the tomb of Elisha. But as soon as the body touched Elisha's bones, the dead man revived and jumped to his feet! 22 King Hazael of Aram had oppressed Israel during the entire reign of King Jehoahaz. 23 But the LORD was gracious to the people of Israel, and they were not totally destroyed. He pitied them because of his covenant with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. And to this day he still has not completely destroyed them or banished them from his presence.24 King Hazael of Aram died, and his son Ben-hadad became the next king. 25 Then Jehoash son of Jehoahaz recaptured from Ben-hadad son of Hazael the towns that Hazael had taken from Jehoash's father, Jehoahaz. Jehoash defeated Ben-hadad on three occasions, and so recovered the Israelite towns. 14:1 AMAZIAH son of Joash began to rule over Judah in the second year of the reign of King Jehoash of Israel. 2 Amaziah was twenty-five years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem twenty-nine years. His mother was Jehoaddin, from Jerusalem. 3 Amaziah did what was pleasing in the LORD's sight, but not like his ancestor David. Instead, he followed the example of his father, Joash. 4 Amaziah did not destroy the pagan shrines, where the people offered sacrifices and burned incense. 5 When Amaziah was well established as king, he executed the men who had assassinated his father. 6 However, he did not kill the children of the assassins, for he obeyed the command of the LORD written in the Book of the Law of Moses: " Parents must not be put to death for the sins of their children, nor the children for the sins of their parents. Those worthy of death must be executed for their own crimes." 7 It was Amaziah who killed ten thousand Edomites in the Valley of Salt. He also conquered Sela and changed its name to Joktheel, as it is called to this day. 8 One day Amaziah sent this challenge to Israel's king Jehoash, the son of Jehoahaz and grandson of Jehu: " Come and meet me in battle!" 9 But King Jehoash of Israel replied to King Amaziah of Judah with this story: " Out in the Lebanon mountains a thistle sent a message to a mighty cedar tree: ` Give your daughter in marriage to my son.' But just then a wild animal came by and stepped on the thistle, crushing it! 10 You have indeed destroyed Edom and are very proud about it. Be content with your victory and stay at home! Why stir up trouble that will bring disaster on you and the people of Judah?"11 But Amaziah refused to listen, so King Jehoash of Israel mobilized his army against King Amaziah of Judah. The two armies drew up their battle lines at Beth-shemesh in Judah. 12 Judah was routed by the army of Israel, and its army scattered and fled for home. 13 King Jehoash of Israel captured King Amaziah of Judah at Beth-shemesh and marched on to Jerusalem. Then Jehoash ordered his army to demolish six hundred feet of Jerusalem's wall, from the Ephraim Gate to the Corner Gate. 14 He carried off all the gold and silver and all the utensils from the Temple of the LORD, as well as from the palace treasury. He also took hostages and returned to Samaria. 15 The rest of the events in Jehoash's reign, including the extent of his power and his war with King Amaziah of Judah, are recorded in The Book of the History of the Kings of Israel. 16 When Jehoash died, he was buried with his ancestors in Samaria. Then his son Jeroboam II became the next king. 17 King Amaziah of Judah lived on for fifteen years after the death of King Jehoash of Israel. 18 The rest of the events in Amaziah's reign are recorded in The Book of the History of the Kings of Judah. 19 There was a conspiracy against Amaziah's life in Jerusalem, and he fled to Lachish. But his enemies sent assassins after him, and they killed him there. 20 They brought him back to Jerusalem on a horse, and he was buried with his ancestors in the City of David. 21 The people of Judah then crowned Amaziah's sixteen-year-old son, Uzziah, as their next king. 22 After his father's death, Uzziah rebuilt the town of Elath and restored it to Judah. 23 Jeroboam II, the son of Jehoash, began to rule over Israel in the fifteenth year of King Amaziah's reign in Judah. Jeroboam reigned in Samaria forty-one years. 24 He did what was evil in the LORD's sight. He refused to turn from the sins of idolatry that Jeroboam son of Nebat had led Israel to commit. 25 Jeroboam II recovered the territories of Israel between Lebo-hamath and the Dead Sea, just as the LORD, the God of Israel, had promised through Jonah son of Amittai, the prophet from Gath-hepher. 26 For the LORD saw the bitter suffering of everyone in Israel, and how they had absolutely no one to help them. 27 And because the LORD had not said he would blot out the name of Israel completely, he used Jeroboam II, the son of Jehoash, to save them. 28 The rest of the events in the reign of Jeroboam II and all his deeds, including the extent of his power, his wars, and how he recovered for Israel both Damascus and Hamath, which had belonged to Judah, are recorded in The Book of the History of the Kings of Israel. 29 When Jeroboam II died, he was buried with his ancestors, the kings of Israel. Then his son Zechariah became the next king.
ACTS 18:23-19:12
After spending some time in Antioch, Paul went back to Galatia and Phrygia, visiting all the believers, encouraging them and helping them to grow in the Lord. 24 Meanwhile, a Jew named Apollos, an eloquent speaker who knew the Scriptures well, had just arrived in Ephesus from Alexandria in Egypt. 25 He had been taught the way of the Lord and talked to others with great enthusiasm and accuracy about Jesus. However, he knew only about John's baptism. 26 When Priscilla and Aquila heard him preaching boldly in the synagogue, they took him aside and explained the way of God more accurately. 27 Apollos had been thinking about going to Achaia, and the brothers and sisters in Ephesus encouraged him in this. They wrote to the believers in Achaia, asking them to welcome him. When he arrived there, he proved to be of great benefit to those who, by God's grace, had believed. 28 He refuted all the Jews with powerful arguments in public debate. Using the Scriptures, he explained to them, " The Messiah you are looking for is Jesus."19:1 WHILE Apollos was in Corinth, Paul traveled through the interior provinces. Finally, he came to Ephesus, where he found several believers. 2 " Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you believed?" he asked them. " No," they replied, " we don't know what you mean. We haven't even heard that there is a Holy Spirit." 3 " Then what baptism did you experience?" he asked. And they replied, " The baptism of John." 4 Paul said, " John's baptism was to demonstrate a desire to turn from sin and turn to God. John himself told the people to believe in Jesus, the one John said would come later." 5 As soon as they heard this, they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. 6 Then when Paul laid his hands on them, the Holy Spirit came on them, and they spoke in other tongues and prophesied. 7 There were about twelve men in all. 8 Then Paul went to the synagogue and preached boldly for the next three months, arguing persuasively about the Kingdom of God. 9 But some rejected his message and publicly spoke against the Way, so Paul left the synagogue and took the believers with him. Then he began preaching daily at the lecture hall of Tyrannus. 10 This went on for the next two years, so that people throughout the province of Asia--both Jews and Greeks--heard the Lord's message. 11 God gave Paul the power to do unusual miracles, 12 so that even when handkerchiefs or cloths that had touched his skin were placed on sick people, they were healed of their diseases, and any evil spirits within them came out.
PSALM 146:1-10
Praise the LORD!
Praise the LORD, I tell myself.
2 I will praise the LORD as long as I live.
I will sing praises to my God even with my dying breath.
3 Don't put your confidence in powerful people;
there is no help for you there.
4 When their breathing stops, they return to the earth,
and in a moment all their plans come to an end.
5 But happy are those who have the God of Israel as their helper,
whose hope is in the LORD their God.
6 He is the one who made heaven and earth,
the sea, and everything in them.
He is the one who keeps every promise forever,
7 who gives justice to the oppressed
and food to the hungry.
The LORD frees the prisoners.
8 The LORD opens the eyes of the blind.
The LORD lifts the burdens of those bent beneath their loads.
The LORD loves the righteous.
9 The LORD protects the foreigners among us.
He cares for the orphans and widows,
but he frustrates the plans of the wicked.
10 The LORD will reign forever.
O Jerusalem, your God is King in every generation!
Praise the LORD!
PROVERBS 18:2-3
Fools have no interest in understanding; they only want to air their own opinions. When the wicked arrive, contempt, shame, and disgrace are sure to follow.
